4. Spend time with those who will cry at your funeral.
One of the greatest statements that my mentor ever said to me was simply, “Phillip, Spend the majority of your time with the people who will cry at your funeral.” I must admit, that statement caught me off guard. I really didn’t know what he was telling me. But what I have learned is that one statement may be one of the greatest and hardest lessons to learn. I spend so much of my time and my day pleasing people I think I have to please. I’m constantly wondering if I have done enough. If I could have done more to meet the needs and desires of that other person. The truth is that I have 3 boys, 1 daughter, and a wife who need my attention. They have simply request like, take me to dunk’n doughnuts, or let’s play outside, or can you rock her to sleep, and most of the time I’m too busy meeting the needs of others. How many times have I been guilty of not taking the time to rearrange my schedule so I can be the one to tuck my boys into bed. Or say no to that meeting so that I can be the one who is helping with my daughters first baby pictures. The fact is, many people would like to have our attention, but there are a few people who God has given us, that NEED our attention. When these days are over, it will be the ones who NEEDED me that will CRY for me. As one man said it best, ‘REFUSE to sacrifice the Permanent on the temporary!”
Posted by jphillipmartin 